


Perfect fake boyfriend

by let_me_in



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Issues, Fluff, Gay, Homophobic Language, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, dream and george are idiots, george is an idiot, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:15:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28633122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/let_me_in/pseuds/let_me_in
Summary: George's cousin is getting wed in about a month. He expects George to come with his significant other who he was bragging about so proudly over the past few months. He never expected his little George to man up and get a partner.George is panicking. His cousin wants him to bring someone with him to his wedding. How will he do that even though he's single? He doesn't even want a relationship, but now he's forced to find someone.And that fast.As soon as George tells Dream about his dilemma, he comes up with an interesting idea.Trigger warnings for this story(not in every chapter but important to the storyline):- dealing with homophobia- described panic attacks- mention of violence
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 47
Kudos: 346





	1. |Prologue|

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, yes. It's another fan fiction where fake dating becomes the real deal. But let me tell you, this story has more to give than just a basic storyline that has been used thousands of times already.  
> Does the fake dating actually become the real deal? Read to find out!

"How could you say that?" George's mother asked in a whispery, shaky voice. His uncle looked at him with pure disgust on his face. "...What?" What did he do wrong? All George did was talk about the new boy in his grade. "George, my sweet innocent child, you can't just say things like that." His mother spoke with a stronger voice now. His uncle still not saying anything.

George looked from one adult to the other, completely lost. Was it really that bad? Was it that bad to like someone? "But why mum? What is so bad about it?" He still could not understand. His mother got up from the kitchen chair she was sitting on. Now kneeling down to be on the same height as her 11-year-old boy. "Sweetie, it's wrong. It is deemed a sin. You are still so young. You may not get it yet, but believe me. What you are feeling towards that boy is just temporary. It'll soon fly by." George has never seen his mother this invested. It had to be true that this feeling was wrong. After all, his mother would never lie to him.

"But what if it won't?" His uncle had his back to the other two. The strong disgust in his voice as clear as anything though. "Steven..." His mother started to speak but was cut off immediately. "No, Margaret. You never know if he's one of- them." He spat out the last word as if it was a disease. George's mother stood up again. "It could just as well be a phase! He's too young to know!" His uncle gritted his teeth, letting out a dangerous growl. "If he comes to me again with this shit then you two need a new place to stay." 

"What?!" His mother was furious. "You know exactly I'm not financially stable enough to provide a place for the both of us. If you kick us out we will be homeless!" George still didn't fully understand the situation. He just knew two things. One, he was scarred while watching his mother and uncle shout at each other. Two, he was not allowed to feel like this towards another boy ever again.

"If you don't want to end up without a home, then make sure your son doesn't become a fag!" George could see a few drops of spit fly out of his uncles mouth. He was scared of him when he got this mad. He wanted to leave the kitchen.

But before he could even move a muscle his uncle turned towards him, his index finger accusingly pointing at him. "And you-" He stepped closer to the intimidated George who was now with his back against the wall. His little eyes stared up at the big man while they started to fill with tears. 

"Say one more time that you think a boy looks cute and you will never see me and your cousins ever again." George was only able to nod. The tears were now running down his cheeks. "Stop crying you little shit." Some of his uncles spit landed on his face. He quickly rubbed it away to have the feeling of disgust leave as quick as possible. His mother had had enough. "Steven! Stop it!" She reached out to him to get him away from her son. He just swatted her hand away and storms out of the kitchen. Margaret looked after him with flaming anger in her eyes. But not for long. The small sniffles of her son made her turn her attention to George.

"It's okay my dear." She said while pulling her little one into a comforting hug. George clamped to his mother, small weeping sounds escaping his mouth. His mother rubbed little circles on her son's back, waiting for him to calm down. After some minutes the weeping stopped, only some sniffling once or twice. George's mother took this opportunity to talk to her son. Both her hands laying on George's shoulders, holding him strongly, her eyes locked with his. With a strong voice she started to speak. "George, this feeling towards that boy is bad. It's not normal." Her son watched her. His crumbled confidence turning more and more into dust. Without any reassurance she kept speaking. "It's wrong for you to like another boy, you hear me? This right now is just a phase. But it's okay. It'll be over soon. And after that everything will be perfectly normal." His mothers speak scared George, but he nodded regardless, taking in all the new information. 

He kept repeating what his mother said over and over in his head "It's just a phase" for the next years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dark start into the story. But don't worry, it's just the start. The next one will play in the present of this story's timeline. I still hope you find a liking in my writing style and have fun reading the story and see how it progresses!  
> -your author T


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment to tell me what you think. It would help me insanely! :)

"Oh George!~" Dream's voice traveled through the discord call into George's ears. "Leave me alone Dream!" His cry for help was filled with laughter, not responded by anyone. who would save him since the two recorded alone. Despite that he still had a big grin on his face. "Come here George!~" Dream was getting closer with every second. George let out a surprised squeal as he got hit by his hunter. Dream yelled for his short-lived victory, still close on George's heels. "Dream stoooop!" He cried out in desperation. His hunger got lower while running away from the other one. That didn't help the fact that he was on three-and-a-half hearts. 

The two boys were recording another episode of manhunt. This time was George the one who had to beat the Enderdragon. He already gathered all items necessary to kill the big creature, but finding the stronghold was not that easy with a killer right behind you. Another victory screech was heard when Dream hit George once again. Now he only had one heart left. "Dream!!" George yelled out in fear. He was so close to winning. But Dream only laughed at his friends misery. "You are so dead!" Dreams voice was almost too loud to handle for his mike. 

With a last hit George's screen turned red with the typical 'Game Over' displayed on it. George's groans mixed into the heavy wheezing of his friend on the other end of the call. "Ugh, I was so close!" Dream's laughter died down a little. "Yeah you actually were." Was his truthful response. They bickered around for a few more minutes before ending the recording. "That was fun!" George rolled his eyes at his friends statement. "Yeah because you won." He said with a playful tone in his voice. "You're just a sour looser." For that reply Dreams in-game character received a solid punch. "Alright, alright. Maybe it was a little bit fun." That stupid smile on his lips just wouldn't leave him alone. It even started to hurt a little. It sure as hell was fun to play with Dream. It always was. Dream knew that. It was fun bickering with his friend. George really enjoyed it. Maybe a bit too much.

"Whatever George." Dream put a pause before starting the daily smalltalk with his friend to check on how his day has been. "How's life been treating you buddy?" George softened at his friends tone. There was Clay's daily dose of concern for him. George liked to think it is annoying but he can't help to find it somehow cute. Even though he would never admit to it. "Not really different from yesterday, Dream. Life's been going pretty steadily. No big news." It was almost boring. Well, it would be if he hadn't such amazing friends who he could spend hours with. Without Dream, Sap, Bad and everyone else he met in his YouTube career, days like these would be really boring. But he wasn't complaining. George knows how incredibly lucky he is to have a steady job which he can manage all by himself with amazing friends who had his back. He was at a great place. He sank back in his chair as he thought about all of this while only half listening to Dreams answer. His past-self would have never thought his life could turn out this good. Of course it wasn't always perfect. It's life after all. But for now, everything was.

"Yeah, same here. Life's been pretty boring. We should fake another meet-up. Twitter went absolutely ballistic over that." George laughed at that. Without being able to think his next words clearly through his mouth decided to betray him. "Why don't we just give them what they want?" It took George a few seconds and an amused "What?" from Dreams side to register how what he just said could come across as something way different than what he actually meant. "Wait- no, I didn't mean it like that." He was insanely glad that he didn't have his camera on right now. His cheeks grew redder with every passing second. "Oh my God, George." Dreams voice was filled with small chuckles throughout speaking. "Shut up! I meant meeting up for real and not just fake this time!" Georges voice rose a bit, the embarrassment clearly recognizable in it. Clays laughter died down a bit and a weird atmosphere settled between them. At least it was weird for George. He shouldn't have said that. He's such an idiot. Just as he wanted to apologize for his mistake, his heart almost exploded in his chest as he heard Dream say "I'd really like that" The tone in wich he said it was enough to make George's heart not just explode but at the same time implode. However the hell that was possible. Dream sounded so sincere while saying it. It made George melt. He didn't like it. It gave him anxiety to think about his best friend like that. But he shrugged it off immediately. He needed to handle this situation first. He could regret his life choices later on.

"...What?" There was a spark of hope in George's voice. But that spark was flooded with confusion. Did his ears deceive him or did he really just hear Dream agreeing to his stupid idea. "Well, why not? We've always wanted to meet up." Dreams voice came out a little shaky at the beginning but he found ground when he thought back to all the times they had come across this topic. "To be honest, I have kinda waited for you to say something like that. We've been dancing around this topic for years now. Always saying 'Hey, wanna meet up' but never really getting to it." George needed a second to take that in. "So, you really want to meet me?" God that sounded stupid. Of course Dream wanted to meet up. They were friends after all. That's what friends do. But he needed to know if Dream actually meant it. Not just a stupid prank of his. He needed to hear it come directly from Dream. 

"Of course! Why would you think otherwise?" Dream sounded almost offended. "I don't know, I guess I just..." He needed to say something. Now. "I thought we wanted to meet together with Sapnap." 

Oh God. Oh God no. He's so stupid. Why did he bring up Sapnap? Not like he didn't want to meet him. But this was about a meet up between just the two of them. How could he be so stupid? 

Dream seemed dumbfounded by this. "Uh, yeah. Of course we can all three meet up." George couldn't quite catch it, but he was certain he heard something in Dreams voice. He just couldn't get a grip on it. He slouched back in his chair, feeling like an utter idiot. "Sounds good." Was all he could say. Why was he so down anyway? He would love to meet both of his best friends. He should be so happy right now to have Dreams approval. So why does he feel like this? He wanted to meet up with Dream... but alone.

Guild started to creep up in him. What kind of friend was he? Excited to see only one of his best friends? An awkward silence swept over them. George hated it. He wanted this silence to end but he didn't know what to say. His mind was only filled with his self-distraught thoughts. Seconds felt like hours. It were probably only up to four seconds, but it felt way too long for George. It seemed like Dream felt the same. George heared a short nose exhale before the silence was finally broken. "If you don't want to meet me that's cool too." It was meant to come out along with a joking undertone but George completely missed it. His mind went crazy with thoughts, not able to comprehend them before speaking. "What? No, Dream that's not it. I was just saying possibilities. I mean, we did say we would meet with all three of us but I wouldn't mind with just you and me and Sapnap is probably okay with it too. If we two meet now it doesn't mean well never meet up again. I'd love it to finally meet you for real! It would be absolutely amazi-" Georges ramble was cut off by Dream's insanely laud wheezing. He couldn't even bring out a single word. George stopped and sat dumbfounded once again in his chair, trying to process his own words. As soon as he did, his cheeks turned a deep red.

Luckily a sudden phone call saved George from anymore of this humiliation. "I- Uh, I gotta take this call." He pushed the button to end the call immediately. Not hearing Dream huff "Sure thing, George." His voice dripping with love.

"Hello?" George answered his phone, only to gulp down the sudden feeling of dread coming up his throat. Oh no. This voice.

"Georgie! Long time no talk!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🥺✨


	3. Chapter 3

George rose up from his chair where he had just sat and talked to Dream. He was not able to deal with the one who called him while sitting down. The only way he knew how to cope with the deep sitting dread he always felt talking to him was by walking around to suppress the nervousness. Wich is exactly what he was doing right now. "How has my little Georgie been? C'mon dude, talk to me!" The deep voice of his cousin roared through the phone. George was not prepared for this. Groaning he pinched the bridge of his nose and huffed out an sheepish answer. "Why do you keep calling me that? I'm older than you." He heard a throaty laugh. "Then how comes it, that you are smaller and weaker than I am?" The mocking tone clearly visible in his voice. George sighed. It was always the same.

"I've been doing good, Greg. So, why did you call?" George didn't hate his cousin or anything. He grew up with him after his dad died and his uncle took him and his mother in, so Greg felt more like a younger brother. A really annoying younger brother. "Ah, right- uh, just a quick question. You told me about that 'person' you've been seeing. Is it finally official?" It felt like there was a tightening steel-cable around his throat and it kept getting tighter. George saw Greg in front of him, making quotation marks for the word person with an miserable attempt on hiding the disgust on his face. George was openly bisexual, even though his outing wasn't intentional. The day he accidentally outed himself still haunted him. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his head. It worked, at least a little. "Uh, why do you ask?" He really didn't want to talk with Greg about his love life. He always ushered him away when this topic came across. His cousin seemed to desperately want him to get a girlfriend. His attempts always failed though. "Well, Hollie and I are getting married and I want you to be by my side when we are at the altar." Okay, George did not expect that. "Wait, you finally asked her? Congrats!" His mood was lifted up a little by the new information. He was genuinely happy and proud to hear that. Greg wasn't actually a bad person. He just had had bad parenting which caused him to have a tainted view on things. He was best described as a typical Chad. Big shoulders, small brain. 

"You bet your ass I did! It's going to be a big day and we both would love to have you there with us." A genuine smile started to spread across George's face. "Of course I'll be there. How could I miss the moment where you finally become a grown man." He bickered as payback for his previous statements. "Says the one who won't even tell me if you and your girl have finally made it official." Greg spat back in a joking manner. It was his attempt at finding out who that supposed person was his cousin kept telling him about. George stopped dead in his tracks when he said that. What was he supposed to do? Tell him the truth or keep the lie going? And if he did keep it up, how would he be able to keep it believable? "Why do you want to know that so desperately?" He asked with a forced chuckle so his nervousness wouldn't show. "Are you serious? Because I need to know if I have to add one or two dinner plates!" Georges silence was enough for Greg to keep talking. "Jesus, I want to know if you come alone or with someone else to our wedding." Finally, it clicked. Fuck, what should he say now? While he silently panicked about what to say Greg started to laugh full heartedly. "She still doesn't know how you feel? Jesus dude, you gotta step up your game if you want to have a chick." George gulped down his panic and spoke hesitantly. "No, I mean yeah. We- I have made it official but uh, I don't know if we can both come, so-" Greg was still listening, thinking he would continue. But he didn't. The silence was a beat too long for it to be a comfortable one. "Okay, so I'll plan in two plates. You better bring someone with you, you pussy."

He heard a cut off laugh from his cousin before George looked down at his phone to see the other had hung up. Fuck. Shit. Damnit, what was he supposed to do? He kept cursing himself out. Why didn't he just tell him it didn't work out. He could have said so many things that would have been way better than to keep up this stupid lie. He put his phone away before going with a shaking hand through his hair. It was getting a tad bit oily. He decided this was the perfect time for a shower, getting his mind cleared with a nice and calming downpour. He quickly grabbed a comfy pair of grey sweatpants and a simple white t-shirt out of his closet before going to the bathroom. It was early evening so he decided against music. He didn't want to disturb anyone, so he had to resign from his typical background vocals during his usual shower concerts. 

A sigh left his lips when he closed the door. He fucked up, didn't he? He started to take off his sweater, his head almost getting stuck in the neck hole. Either his head has grown bigger or he needs a new one. A new sweater that is, not a new head. Though, considering the mess he had gotten himself into, maybe a new head wasn't such a bad idea. He folded his sweater messily and put it onto the little shelf next to his sink. In the corner of his eyes he saw his reflection in the mirror. He looked at himself. He didn't understand what his fans saw in him. He wouldn't call himself ugly, but the godlike worship about his so called beautiful face just led to a little nose-scrunch. He wasn't even that pretty. Acne was never really a big problem for him so he had a pretty clear skin. But apart from that he thought of himself of the more average type of guy. He wasn't 6 foot tall, nor was he the strongest of the bunch, like Greg for example. He shrugged and turned away from his reflection, turning on the shower before he started to strip off the rest of his clothing. In his teenage years he was an absolute mess. He absolutely hated himself. His height, his clear skin and especially his partially feminine features. He tried to cover everything up what would be considered feminin. As a teenager he didn't have a lot of friends and being any part of the LGBTQ community was considered a death wish in his school. At least back then. He always sticked with Greg as much as possible. Even though his cousin despised the part of George that was everything but straight, he wasn't a dick. He didn't snitch that the cousin who he lives with liked not just girls. Probably out of embarrassment, but partially to the fact that he does care for him. Wich was the reason he invited George to his wedding.

A desperate groan escaped Georges lips. Why was this so hard. Why did he feel the need to make Greg happy in regards of how he viewed him? Did he want to impress him? Maybe. Man, all this thinking really got to him. He grew more exhausted with every draining train of thoughts. He tried to concentrate on the droplets of water running down his body. The air started to grow warmer and thicker the longer he stood under the water. After he shampooed his hair and washed his body he stepped out of the shower. The shower did in fact help him clear his head a bit. While drying himself and slipping into the clothes he gathered beforehand, he figured to ask someone who wasn't part of the problem on their opinion. 

Little did he now that this would resolve into the person becoming part of the problem.


	4. Chapter 4

With a towel around his shoulders to keep his shirt from getting too wet, George stepped into his bedroom. His computer was still running. Didn't he close it? He stepped closer to his work desk while rubbing his hair with the towel. He had an unread message on Discord. It was from Dream. A little smile tugged on his lips when he saw it. It read "Text me when you're done :)". He sat down in his chair, hovering over the call button with his mouse. He did want to talk with someone about the situation he had brought himself into, so why not Dream? He was one of his best friends after all. With that he clicked on the little phone icon next to Dreams name. It tooted about three times before he picked up. "Hey George. That was quite a long call. Was it someone special?" George rolled his eyes. "Why, jealous?" A proud smirk spread across his face as his remark earned a wheeze out of his friend. Without letting him actually answer, he proceeded. "It was my cousin. He invited me to his wedding." A short silence settled between them. "Okay, I did not expect that. But that's great!" 

George sighed despite the smile on his lips. "Yeah, well. I'm actually quite excited about it too. But... There is something I need help with." His nervousness grew. He hoped Dream wasn't going to judge him. "Shoot." Was Dreams invitation for him to keep going. He took a deep breath before starting to explain the whole situation. It ended with an humming sound from Dream, trying to comprehend everything George just told him.

"So, basically you lied to your cousin about you being in a relationship, because he started to get on your nerves for invading your love life. But now he expects you to bring someone with you to his wedding. Did I get everything right?" There wasn't any accusation in his voice, but George still felt like he was judged by his friend. "Basically." Was his short response. Dream made a 'hmm' sound, like he was thinking about a possible solution. After a while of dreadful silence Dream's voice piped up again. "So you just need a date for the wedding?" It was more a statement than a question. "Exactly." This was hopeless. "Preferably a woman I'm guessing?" This question caused an amused nose exhale from George. "Not necessarily." Where the hell was Dream getting at? "So your family members know you are bisexual?" George's eyes were glancing over his computer display, not really looking at anything in particular. A short hum was the only answer. He was pretty open about his sexuality with his friends. He knew he could trust them. His fans on the other hand didn't know. He would tell them, but he resigned against a coming out video. He didn't want to get paid for talking about his sexual interests. Besides, he felt a lot more comfortable knowing that almost 4 million people did not know about his sexual interest. It was better like this.

His train of thoughts were interrupted by Dreams voice. "Then let me be you boyfriend!" This bizarre statement made George squeak a little in surprise. "Wh-what?" His face grew redder with every passing second. "What? It's the best solution. You have a date for the wedding and I have a chance on meeting your family." He really didn't know what to say. He tried to form a full sentence but all that came out of his mouth were stuttered words. "You want- You mean, you a-and me." But it was pointless. Dreams laugh shook him out of trance. "Think about it, we could finally meet and you would have a solution to your problem. I mean, we'd fake it of course." A nervous chuckle came over the other ones lips. Despite George still being insanely flustered he finally spoke up. "Dude! What the hell?" Dream started laughing, the little bit of nervousness still lightly audible in his voice. "I think it could be fun." George stared at the screen, intensely lookin at Dreams name. "No, Dream. Going to my cousins wedding together would be a literal death wish for you." He couldn't see it, but a concerned frown formed on Dreams face. "I thought you were out to your family?" With a heavy sigh George started to talk again. "Out to them? Yes. Accepted? Not really. Though I never actually told my cousin what gender my significant other was..."

After a short moment of silence, George could hear movement on the other side of the call. "So they are homophobic?" Was Dream stupid or something? 1000 IQ? More like 10... "Yes, Dream. They are homophobic. Well, not all. My uncle is the worst out of them. He'd turn both our necks 360 degrees if he'd get a hold of us." George got a feeling of dread just thinking about the adult who was the main reason for his fears. Another moment of silence. George was just about to drop the subject to talk about something different instead, but before he could Dream spoke up. "George, please let me play your boyfriend for your cousins wedding. I want to meet your family. We'll avoid your uncle as much as possible if necessary. But I won't let a homophobic old-ass bastard ruin this for you. You said yourself you are already excited for the wedding, so I'll make sure you will go. Please dude. I want to help you with this." George still didn't think this was a good idea. But hearing his friend talk like this made him rethink. "Plus, we could finally see each other in person." Dream's voice has gotten quieter. Filled with so much affection and longing to see his best friend, to hug him, to joke around with him and to just be around him without a stupid screen and thousands of miles between them. George's heart sped up. He really wanted to see him as well. "What's your exact plan anyways? That I introduce you as my boyfriends to my whole family? That's bound to fail." George couldn't believe he actually started to consider this idea. "Why do you say that? You don't know that. If hundreds and thousands of strangers on the internet think we have something going on, I'm sure we are able to fool your family for a short amount of time." That remark caused the atmosphere to loosen up a little, earning a light chuckle out of George. 

"Could you maybe tell me a bit about your family? As your fake boyfriend I should know a little bit about them don't you think?" Dream said. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I haven't asked you to date me yet." Despite George being the one who made this cocky remark his cheeks still took on a slight shade of pink. But just a slight one. While Dream was occupied trying to change from a teakettle back into his human self, George answered his question. "Like I said, my uncle is the worst one out of them all. He's a real dick." Dream, finally calm again, made a reassuring sound so George could continue. "My cousin Greg isn't that bad. We went through a lot together so he does accept me. But he sure as hell doesn't support it. My mother... she is similar to Greg. But she isn't as accepting as he is. She still views it as a sin. Because of that we grew apart a lot the past years." George felt his eyes becoming a little watery. Not a lot, but enough to make him sniff and wipe his eyes. Dream stayed quiet and waited patiently for him to continue. "My Grandparents, the parents of my mother and uncle don't know about it. Mainly because they don't understand it. They view it as an illness that I just have to live with like diabetes or something. They are pretty accepting I guess. Though thinking about it, it's more likely out of pity. The only one who actually accepts me for who I am is Gregs little sister. Her name is Zoey and she's 18 years old. She's the only one I actually make an effort to keep in touch with." A big smile spread across his face talking about his other cousin. 

Dream smiled as well. "So Zoey is the cool one, got it." George laughed harder than he had the past few hours. It felt good. "Yep, she definitely is." George told him that everyone else who would be at the wedding wasn't that close to him. They kept talking about George's family and soon about other stuff as well. It was already late when they decided to end the call. With a look at the clock George discovered it was almost 1 am for him. "I'm really tired Dream. Let's talk tomorrow again." He said with a yawn. "Sure thing. I'll let you think about it. I still think it would be really fun. Consider it." George giggled before ending the call. A little message popped up in his and Dreams chat. "Good night, (almost) babe. 😘" 

George smiled tiredly, his face turning a little pink. He will decide if he should go with Dream's idea in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have probably mentioned this sooner, but this story is also on wattpad under the same name. (Tho my user name is different, it’s @ bitchgimmeausernane)
> 
> I upload more frequently on wattpad, so if you like this story and want to read ahead to chapter 8, check it out. :)

It has been settled. George and Dream were dating. Well, fake dating. They had come up with an believable story that would be easy to remember for both of them. This is supposed to prevent any slip ups. The basic story being that their anniversary date is Dreams Birthday, August 12, since that is when George asked him out. That means they have been 'dating' for about eight months now. They made sure to make it a date that both of them will easily remember. The story how they met stayed the same. They met when both of them became developers at Munchy several years ago. A few years later they started to acknowledge their feelings for one another, which means they have been in love for years before they actually got together. The last one was probably not going to be asked about but they figured better save than sorry.

Georges face flushed red when thinking about this whole story they had come up with. They talked for about three hours. Well, it was mostly Dream talking and coming up with a story, while George just sat there, face red and still not believing what he had agreed to. He shook his head. He needed to get his mind off of things. It was another month before the wedding date. That means it would be three weeks before Dream would fly over... They planed it so that Dream would stay at Georges place a few days before the day of the wedding. It was a great opportunity to go over some stuff and just overall have some more time to spend together. A smile started to steal it's way onto Georges face. No matter how stupid the reason, he would never pass an opportunity to finally see his best friend. Then the smile faded again. He would need to figure some stuff out before he came. Firstly he needed a place for Dream to sleep. Maybe he should tidy up a bit as well... 

Shit. He would need some video and stream material or at least some ideas prepared for the time they'd spend together so they wouldn't have any stress. Not just that, but he also needed an excuse for the wedding day. He didn't really want people to know about the wedding. He was scared that people might find out that Dream was there with him. Not because of the fake dating thing. Well, partially. But the main reason was that he did not want people to find Dream in any pictures that most certainly will be made. It was a wedding after all. Of course there are going to be a lot of pictures made. No one of the guests would consider that Dream is in their background when sharing the photos on facebook or other media platforms. He really didn't want to risk it. 

He spent the rest of the day figuring out how to keep the wedding a secret while maintaining his usual social media life under one hat. It wouldn't be too big of a deal. The thing he did need to worry about was Twitter tho. It's absolutely crazy over there and after that fake meat-up they lied about for so long, Twitter would go absolutely balistic if they found out about this. He didn't want to imagine the possible outcome. With his right hand he went through his hair. What the hell are you getting yourself into, George? His mind was reeling. Was this really a good idea? He felt so lost.

George spent the next days overthinking every possible aspect of this plan. He had lots of calls with Dream, always debating wether to stop this insane idea and just cower in bed for the next month without ever speaking to Greg again, or not. In the end Dream was always the one who kept him from doing that. He held him captive to their plan. The time to the actual meet-up kept coming closer. Before he knew it, the first week was over. Dream told him to relax but he just couldn't. His mind didn't give him a break from all the overthinking. He was scared that shit would go down and that he couldn't do anything to stop it. The time fly by like it was nothing. As soon as George noticed this his anxiety grew immensely. He spent the whole week pacing through his rooms, tidying up in the process. The next few days went by without much talking to Dream. He just wasn't in the right mind setting for it. He needed to calm down a bit first. Normally Dream's voice would be the perfect thing for that. To just hear his soothing voice and just enjoying the moment. But right now he couldn't bear it. His voice would just sent him deeper and deeper into this pit he was finding himself in. It was a pit of immense pounding in his chest, flushing brightly and profusely sweating more than usual when they talked. Together with that, for some reason he was reacting stronger to Dream's teases than usual. Probably from all the stress... Dream was right, he should really try to relax a litte. So he did. Well, he tried. After there was nothing left to clean anymore, he faced his fears and let his thoughts consume himself. He took a few days letting himself go lose. His thoughts were so loud that he almost got a headache. But after a while he sorted himself out. He was going to go through with this plan. Before he new it, the third week was already over. Only three more days, including this one, until Dream would fly over. George's feelings felt like a rollercoaster inside his stomach.

"Are you excited?" George had his phone lying right next to his head. He was in bed, too lazy to walk over to his pc. So he had decided to just call Dream over the Discord app on his phone. Works just as well. "Yeah, can't wait to finally see you." A short laugh came out of his phone as response. It was on loudspeaker so he could understand Dream without having to hold him up to his ear. That would have been way too much effort. "Aww, Georgie. That's so sweet of you. But we don't need to portray our dating act just yet." George's face flushed red. "Dream!" His friend let out a wheeze followed by a loud laugh. "Shut up!" George tried really hard, but he just couldn't contain the smile that was forming on his lips. He couldn't wait to finally see Dream.

It was the next day and they had another call, going through some last preparations. They talked while Dream packed up for his stay in the UK. He didn't really need that many clothes since he could just wash them at George's place. That way he'd have less to carry. They talked for hours before finally ending the call.

With that it was finally time. The wait was finally over. It was the end of the day which meant tomorrow Dream would fly all the way over to Brighton. Even though he didn't do much today except for giving Dream advice on what to pack, George was extremely exhausted. He layed down in his bed and was out in a heartbeat. His train of thoughts drifting into the realm of the nightly fantasy world. His breathing slowed down, sorting into a calm rhythm. It won't be long until he would finally see Dream.


	6. Chapter 6

"You really think he'll be here?" Sapnap groaned at his friends distress. "Of course dude. You two planned this stupid meetup for a month now." He said with a grumpy undertone. George stopped in his tracks. "Are you still sulky about not coming as well?" Sapnap huffed. "Of course not. It's not like my two best friends are going to meet up without me." It wasn't hard to hear the sarcasm dripping from Sapnap voice. It made George laugh a little.

"Aww, Sapnap. I told you already, we'll see when we can meet with you as well. But this time just wasn't possible." George heard some shuffling on the other end. Nick was probably spinning in his chair. He did that sometimes when they were in a call together. "Yeah because this time I wasn't allowed to come. Just because you and your boyfriend want some time alone." George's cheeks flushed slightly red. "You know that's not why." Dream and him have told Sapnap about their plan. Though now he was debating with himself if that has been a good idea. He's the only one who knows so far and they plan on keeping it that way. Sapnap thought it was quite funny, imagining his friends needing to act more like a couple than they already do. Even if they don't do it intentionally. Sometimes Sapnap was really confused on what exactly was going on between his two friends. Yeah, they always joked about this, but Sap new very well that a joke can easily become reality without any control over it. He sometimes wondered how far George and Dream were down that road. 

Even though saying he was absolutely heartbroken that they didn't want him to be there as well was mostly in a joking manner, Sapnap still was a little sad that he wasn't able to spend time with his friends in person. But he understood the serious manner behind George's situation. So he was fine with it. Besides, he wasn't a little kid anymore. Even if he often acted like that wasn't the case, he was able to control his feelings. So he did his best to helps his nervous wreck of a friend over the phone, telling him it's going to be okay.

Wether he wanted to admit it or not, George was nervous to see Dream. Especially when thinking about the reason why. He texted with Dream right before his flight started yesterday. It took him quite long to finally fall asleep to overcome the long hours of Dream's flight. After he woke up, he immediately called Sapnap, needing someone to distract himself from the fluttering nervousness in his chest. He was already at the airport, talking to Sapnap and desperately trying to ignore the stupidly fast thumping of his heart. 

He told himself to calm down. They have known each other for years now. It won't be any different in person to when they talk over Discord. Well, besides the fact that they had to play a couple in front of his entire family including his not so LGBTQ friendly uncle. George internally screamed. It was still hard to believe Dream actually got him to go through with this. George desperately tried to calm down. It's fine. They still had a few days alone, not having to keep up an act. They could just be themselves. But then why does this stupid feeling in George's chest not go away? He thought it came from the fear of pretending to date his best friend in front of his family. But what if it isn't?

Sapnap had to hang up, so George was alone with his thoughts now. But not for long. His phone made a sound, signalizing he had a new notification. It read I've landed a while ago and just got my luggage. I'm at the exit. Where are you? George looked at his phone, quickly typing an answer. I'm at the parking lot. He hit send, looking around nervously. His phone ping-ed again. Another message. Okay :) A few seconds of dreadful silence passed, not looking away from the screen of his phone.

Wait, I think I can see you! George swallowed hard, looking around even more hectic than before. Suddenly, he saw a tall figure in a yellow, or maybe green, hoodie coming closer. He couldn't quite tell thanks to his color blindness, neither could he see his face due to a cap covering half it. Was that him? The closer he got, the more George could look underneath the cap. He could now see up to his nose. The man had a sweet smile on his lips. Suddenly he came to a halt. They were now only a few feet away from each other. George still didn't know if it was him or not, scared to actually ask the other. The stranger's hand lifted his cap a little and George could finally see his full face. The dirty blonde hair poking out underneath the cap, smile turning into a grin and squinting eyes looking at him with nothing but pure happiness.

The man in front of him started to speak. "What? Am I even prettier than you expected?" That voice... it was definitely Dream. 

It took George's brain a second to tell his body to finally move. With quick steps he moved towards the man he could now identify as his friend. Dream laughed as he put down his suitcase to be able to catch the smaller one flying into his arms, falling a few steps back to balance the sudden shift of weight. His arms wrapping around him in an instant. George's head reached up to Dream's chest. Without hesitation he pressed his cheek onto it, hearing the others fast heartbeat and feeling his deep chuckle going through his body. He couldn't believe he was finally able to hold Dream close, feel him underneath his touch. Both stayed in this moment, not wanting to move and to keep enjoying the others warmth.

"I missed you, George."


	7. Chapter 7

After a taxi drive back to George's place, filled with chatting and laughter between the two friends, George paid the driver and led Dream to his front door. "Here we are." He slid his key into the keyhole, turning it around to unlock the door. He really hoped he hadn't forgotten anything. But a week of cleaning and making sure everything is at the right place should be enough, right?

He nervously pushed the door open, letting Dream in. He watched his friend inspecting the place. "It looks nice." He stated while looking around. They stood in a small hallway. There wasn't much to it except some hung up images and a little inwards going corner where a perfect fitting clothing stand was placed where jackets, hats, shoes and other things had it's place. He stopped in front of a specific picture. It was of George, standing in front of a cliff with a beautiful view in the background. He had shorts on with a simple t-shirt and a hat to shield him from the sun. In the right corner was a hand showing a thumbs-up. Probably from the person who took the picture. "That was in Australia." George stood next to Dream, looking at his past self. He had a big smile on his face, happy to be at such a beautiful place. "Who is that?" Dream's finger pointed at the thumb's up. George giggled at the memory. "Oh, that's Zoey. This was about three years ago." Dream turned towards George, smiling. "Yeah, I remember. You really enjoyed it there. You wouldn't shut up about it when you came back." George's laughter clang through the narrowly corridor, rubbing his neck, a little ashamed.

Dream grinned, pushing the other in his side. "Hey, it's fine. It was nice seeing you so excited." It took a second to process his words, but before George could answer Dream was already walking away from him, exploring more of his home. With fast steps he went after him. He had already found the living area and the kitchen. George showed him the last rooms, including the guest room. It was a fairly small room, only a twin sized bed with little standee next to it, a dresser and a plant standing in one of the corners. Even though it was small and not provided with a lot, it looked very nice and cozy. Dream stepped into the room. He flicked on the lights and put his suitcase on the bed. The window had a nice view on the sun which was almost starting to set. It was already late afternoon.

George leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed while watching his friend with an amused grin on his face. He looked like a little kid, eyes wide and looking at absolutely everything. He sighed and Dream looked at him with confused eyes. "You're taller than I thought. The bed could be a little short for you." They didn't look away from each other. A mischievous grin crept onto Dream's face. "I'll manage. After all, you're not the biggest and I wouldn't call you too short for me." The Brit looked at his friend in shock. His arms fell to his sides, red hue on his cheeks and mouth gaping open a little, not believing what his friend just said. But Dream only wheezed, almost doubling over in the process. George collected himself again, asking his friend with a breathy voice. "What? What the hell, dude." A small chuckle following, still red in the face. 

Dream had finally calmed down, enjoying his small victory. "Don't worry, I'll make do." he said, as if his comment never left his lips. He walked past George into the hallway again. George rolled his eyes, following close behind. Dream pointed at a door, looking at George while asking "That's the bathroom, right?" He nodded and Dream sighed in relief. "Good, I really need to piss." George laughed. Before Dream shut the door completely he called out "Pissbaby!" He heard a damped laugh from behind the bathroom door and proudly smiled to himself. It was already amazing having Dream over. It was exactly like all their calls. Except now, they were way closer to each other. Hell, Dream was pissing just a room away from him. George laughed and strolled over to the open living room so he could let himself down on his couch, ready to start the TV.

A short while later, Dream entered the living room area, sitting down next to George, spreading his arms over the sofa back. "What are we watching?" George looked at him from the corner of his eye, not moving his head. "Depends, did you wash your hands?" Dream laughed before answering. "What do you take me for, George?" George shrugged, now turning his head to face his friend directly. "I don't know. American?" 

Dream blinked once before bursting into a wheezing fit. George joining closely after. "You're such a dick." Dream coughed through his laughter. After they calmed down, a pleasant atmosphere settled between them. They started to search for something to watch. Both were in the mood for anime, but it took them a little to settle on something. After Dream found out George had never heard of Princess Mononoke, his mind was made up. George was for Hunter x Hunter, but they could watch that later on. So Dream clicked on the film, waiting for George to come back with some snacks to finally start. When George came back, he not only had snacks in his one hand, he had also a blanket in his other. Dream smiled, standing up to help him. He took the blanket so George could put down the snacks onto the coffee table in front of the sofa. When George was done, he looked up to see Dream already back down on the couch, holding up one side of the blanket for him to crawl under it, giving him a warm smile. George melted at the sight. He was so happy right now.

He sat down next to Dream under the blanket, snuggling into it and enjoying the soft fabric around him. Suddenly, he felt something warm on his shoulder. His eyes shot to the sudden source. It was Dream's hand. His stomach started to feel weird. But a good weird. 

His eyes wondered from his hand to Dream's face. He could see a light shade of pink splattered across his face, but he wasn't locking back at him. Almost forcing himself not to look away from the TV. George smiled, following his lead and looking back at what was happening in the movie. A thought came across his mind. Should he?

The calm and comfortable air around them made him decide on doing it. So he slowly leaned his head against Dream's side. He felt Dream's head turn, but he didn't dare looking up at him. George felt way too embarrassed for that. The hand on his shoulder started to move ever so slightly, scattering small strokes with his thumb over his clothed skin. It made this feeling in his stomach grow bigger. What was this? Was it excitement to finally have his best friend close? Or something else? He couldn't get a grip on what this feeling was. But he didn't really mind right now. It felt nice, so he tried his best not to worry about it too much. He wanted to just enjoy the moment.

After the film had ended, they had to move out of their comfortable position. Both didn't really want to, but they were hungry which meant George had to get his phone. It laid inconveniently at the far back of the coffee table. He was too lazy to move, so with as little movement as possible he bent over and reached out to grab it. When he let himself fall back again, he saw Dream's face looking redder than before. "What?" He asked with great confusion in his voice. The blonde looked away, avoiding his friends eyes at every cost. He coughed, quickly pressing out a "Nothing" through his lips. George shook his head at Dream's weird behavior. He turned on his phone to search up their options for food. He looked at them before turning back to Dream who seemed to have calmed down again. "What kind of food do you want?" 

"How about pizza?" George nodded, going through his phone to select their orders. It would take another 30 to 40 minutes for the food to arrive. George let out a grumble. "But I'm hungry now." Dream laughed at his friends misery. He promptly earned a death glare for the joy of his dilemma. But he wasn't phased by it. "Should have ordered sooner then." George leaned back, looking up at the ceiling while huffing out an annoyed breath. "But the film was way too cool to pause it." And it was way too comfortable to move. 

Dream chuckled. "Told you it was good." George rolled his eyes but couldn't help the growing smile on his face. "Whatever." They shared a short moment in comfortable silence before George spoke again. "Do you wanna watch Hunter x Hunter now?" Dream hummed, not really caring about what they would watch next. So George typed it into the search bar and clicked play. This time they didn't sit as close to each other as before. Both wanted to sit just like they did while watching Princess Mononoke. But they were too afraid to pull the other closer. So they didn't. They sat with space between them until the first episode was over. The second one was halfway through as the doorbell rang. George got up to get their food, letting Dream all alone. He looked after him with longing eyes.

A deep sigh left his lips. He let his head fall back, resting on the back of the sofa. What was he doing... Suggesting that they'd fake date so George could go to his cousins wedding. What was he expecting from this? Did he really think that this would turn into a romance story where George would fall in love with him? Pathetic. He should really restrain himself. He just recently discovered his deep rooted love for his dear friend. Questioning his sexuality was never something he thought he needed to do. He'd fall in love with whom ever his heart picked, not feeling the need to label himself as anything. He always knew he wasn't straight and he never referred to himself as such. He's just a human loving other humans. But when he found out that his late nights thinking about George meant that he felt more than just friendship after he came up with this glorious idea of fake dating made him nervous. Maybe even a little scared.

It wasn't just anyone who he had feelings for after all. It was George.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >The ending is a little abrupt, but I hope you enjoyed the fluffy chapter! It's the longest so far because the last one was to short and as a little compensation for not uploading for so long. :")
> 
> For those who might not know:  
> Bisexual means being attracted to multiple genders.  
> Pansexual means simply not caring about the other person's gender.  
> They may be similar but they are not the same and most importantly: They. Are. Both. Equal. :)


	8. Chapter 8

The evening passed by quite effortlessly. George and Dream ate their pizza, they watched a few more episodes of Hunter x Hunter and around midnight they said their good night's to each other. George was right, the bed was a little too short for Dream. But he didn't want to bother his friend about it. It wasn't too bad, it was only about a few inches too small. But the uncomfortable feeling of someone grabbing his protruding legs was definitely not pleasant. 

The night was quiet, both boys sleeping peacefully in their beds. Dream was the first to wake up. After a trip to the bathroom and putting on some comfortable clothes, he strolled to the kitchen. He thought about making breakfast for George and him, but he didn't really know where anything was, so he sat down on the table in the nicely looking kitchen and grappled his phone. He was on Twitter for a while, checking what his friends and fans had tweeted, replying to some of them.

A sudden noise came from the door which led into the kitchen. Dream lifted his head, seeing a sleepy George still in his sleep wear, rubbing his side, making his way straight to the coffee machine. Dream chuckled at his friend. Seems like he's a little grouch in the morning. George turned to him with half closed eyes, waiting for his coffee to finish. "You want one?" His voice sounded crooked, not quite back to life yet. Dream shook his head, standing up to walk over to his friend. "No thanks." He leaned his hip at the kitchen counter, eyeing his sleepy friend. George didn't really care. He was way too tired to notice anyway. Thinking straight wasn't something his brain was able to do right now, so George didn't notice how his next move made Dream's cheeks heat up a little. 

With a low groan he leaned at the taller one's shoulder, resting his forehead against him while whining about his still not finished coffee. Dream laughed at his friend, placing a hand on his back and playfully rubbing it as if he was dealing with a little kid who's really impatient. "Aww, poor Gogy." He didn't move his head but Dream could still see a soft smile forming on the corners of George's mouth. "Shut up." He whispered, too distracted from the affectionate touch and warmth to care about anything. 

A ping signaled that the coffee was finally done. George quickly grabbed it, happy to hold his glorious morning coffee in his hands. Dream longed after the warmth, the touch. But he was the only one. George didn't even think about it, just enjoying his dirty bean water.

-

They sat at the table, already done with breakfast. "What's the plan for today?" Dream asked, drinking the last of his water. "I don't know. What do you wanna do?" George looked up across the table, seeing Dream laugh a little. "You're from here. You tell me." He rolled his eyes at his friends remark. Then he started to think about what they could do. "Hmm, we could go to Sea Life, if that's something that interests you. It's really beautiful there." He thought back to when he was there in the past, always amazed by the magical sea creatures. Dream started to smiled. "Sounds good to me."

So it was settled. Around 2 pm they made their way to a bus station that would bring them directly to Sea Life. Both weren't really fond of taking the bus. Too many people getting in your personal space, not caring one bit about what's around them. Plus all the pushing was really annoying. At one point an elder man got pushed into George who almost tripped, but instead fell onto Dream's chest who immediately moved one arm around his friend to steady him. The man didn't even apologize, way too busy scolding the two teenage girls who accidentally pushed him. When Dream was sure his friend wasn't falling over, he let go of George. He tried his best not to miss the protective arm around him, keeping him from falling. When this weird feeling from yesterday started to grow in George's stomach again, he felt like he was going to fall over a second time. With desperation he banned the thought from his head, trying to concentrate on the trees and buildings passing by.

The drive took merely thirty minutes. When they got out of the bus and passed the gate with purchased tickets, George noticed how Dream wasn't moving, just staring at the building in front of them. "Damn." Dream breathed out, excitement in his eyes. George smiled and nudged him to bring him back to reality. Dream looked down at him. When he saw that sweet smile on the other one's face he grinned back. Suddenly George launched forward, leaving a baffled Dream behind. He looked back, the distance between them growing bigger with every fast step. "Last one there is a pissbaby!" he screamed and Dream finally moved. He sprinted after George with big steps, laughing loudly. A few people turned to them, some smiling at the fun the two were having, others rolling their eyes, making a note not to go near those childish men. But neither Dream nor George cared. 

George was almost at the door, feeling the victory already in his hands. He slowed down a bit as to not slam into the entrance. That was his fatal mistake. He felt sudden arms coming from behind, making their way around his waist. Before his brain could comprehend the situation, he was lifted up into the air, a hearty laugh right next to his ear. Dream had closed in and used George slowing down as an opportunity to shock him. It certainly worked. "Dream!" the smaller one shrieked, mixed with loud laughter. 

Dream just kept laughing. Despite George struggling to be put down again, Dream had him strong in his grip. George stopped, accepting defeat. With a proud smile on his lips, Dream stepped through the doors, walking backwards so he was the first one. When he let George down, he shot him a playful angry stare. "You're an idiot." 

Dream just shrugged, proud of himself for winning the race. They started to walk along the entrance hall. "What do you want to see first?" The blond thought for a second, responding with excitement "Oh, I want to see the octopuses! Or octopi-? Whatever, octopus!" Both laughed at his struggle of finding the right plural form. 

With that it was settled. They made their way down a specific route wich would lead them right to the interesting sea creatures. Well, it was more George tugging Dream after him because he got distracted by literally everything they came across. Wich wouldn't be a problem if Dream would start to move again. Right now they were stuck at the seahorses. "But George, this one is right at the pane! Look!" George did look, first at the little fish swimming towards Dream's finger, then to the boy who's face was lit up with pure happiness. A warm smile settled on his face, the annoyance he felt just a few seconds ago fading away. He bent forward so he was next to Dream, starring at the little seahorse right in front of them. "He seems to like you." George whispered. Dream made a humming sound, seeming to be afraid that he'd scare the little guy away if he talked. 

The seahorse was a vibrant yellow with orange little marks down his sides. The blue light gave him a green hue. The small animal suddenly bumped against the glass with his snout right where Dream's finger was placed. It made the man gasp. "George! Did you see this? He kissed my finger!" Dream straightened himself, looking at the finger the seahorse had 'kissed'. The sudden motion caused the creature to swim away, disappearing into the coral reef. George laughed, bending up again as well. "Come on, let's go see the octopus." George stared walking, Dream hurrying after him.

"You know, the seahorse reminded me of you a bit." George huffed in amusement at what his friend said. "I don't recall wanting to kiss your finger." Dream wheezed, quickly trying to clarify. "No, not because of that." They kept walking in a normal pace. "Then why?" The brunette asked, kinda curious where his friend was going with this. "The little guy swam slowly but surely right towards me, without any fear, but with caution, watching my every move." Dream glanced down at George, but quickly looked away again as if not wanting to be noticed. "So you think I am cautious of what you are doing?" George asked amused, a soft shade of red settling on his cheeks when he looked up. Dream didn't look back.

He softly added "Not quite. The way he moved, how he seemed to be able to look right through me. As if he could read me like I were an open book to him. It was captivating."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He he. :) They on a date and Dream be deffo flirting with Gogy lol.  
> Soft chapter before they get thrown into their lie. I think it will take about 3 to 4 chapters till the wedding. So, yeah. 
> 
> Fun fact: The plural form of octopus is octopuses, octopi AND octopodes. Though, octopi is grammatically wrong. The other two at correct (if the internet isn't lying lol) but octopuses is the most used one. :)
> 
> I have never been to Sea Life, so don't come at me heh...


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: description of violence!
> 
> ===TW=== (beginning of TW)  
> ...  
> ========end of TW)
> 
> skip that part if you feel the need :)

It was well past 5:30 pm, wich is why the two young adults were now sitting on the same bus back to George's place they took to get to Sea Life. The bus was way emptier than on the first ride, providing two free seats for George and Dream to sit on. They were talking about all the cool animals they saw today, discussing why their favorite animal was better. George's favorite were definitely the rays they saw when walking through the famous underwater tunnel. "It was absolutely magical when they swam right above our heads!" George's excitement made Dream chuckle, answering with a teasing grin "They swam right above my head. Between you and the rays was quite the gap."

Dream earned a hit on the shoulder for his remark. He laughed while rubbing the place George's hand had hit him. It didn't really hurt. Just a tiny bit. They grinned in union. Dream rose his voice to state his opinion. "My favorite was still the octopus. They are insanely smart and look like literal aliens. Like, come on." George shook his head. Sure, the freaky creatures were cool. But the rays still held the number one spot for him. 

"Though, I really liked the seahorses as well." Dream smiled, not thinking that his sentence was a big deal. But George blushed when he thought back to Dream saying how the small animal remembered him of George.

The way he moved, how he seemed to be able to look right through me. As if he could read me like I were an open book to him. It was captivating.

Did he really think that? He never thought of his friend as an open book. They just knew each other for so long that George had picked up on a few things. Like how Dream chuckled in a very specific way when he was embarrassed or nervous. Or how he shut himself off when he was mad at something. He'd never talk about what was bothering him so George knew he had to distract him for a while, letting the anger fade away. After that Dream gets really sentimental. Not as in he would start to cry. But he was very truthful at that point, spilling everything that had bothered him. George really liked those moments. Not him being angry for whatever reason. But the aftermath of it, showing George his vulnerability, his trust.

But he wouldn't call all that as 'reading him like an open book'. He just knew how his best friend operated. Wasn't that normal? Maybe it wasn't.

They arrived at their destination and Dream had to shake George out of his thoughts. He hadn't noticed they were already there. They got off and walked back home. When they entered they pretty much immediately got comfortable on the couch, ready to play some games. Plus heating up some instant noodles George had found in his kitchen drawers. They didn't make it long into the night though. Both were pretty exhausted from the three hour trip to Sea Life and waking up this morning before 10 am. So they decided to go to bed earlier than expected.

===TW===  
When George woke up, his room was dark. Probably before sunrise. He sat up, scratching the back of his head. There was a sudden movement next to him. When he turned to look for the reason, he saw Dream laying right next to him. Despite it being pitch black in his room, the moonlight gave perfect view on the sleeping man. He was on his stomach, the blanket exposing his naked shoulder, hugging the pillow his head was snuggled into, strands of hair messily standing in every direction. His mouth was slightly parted, his breathing low and steady. He didn't remember Dream coming with him upstairs. But for some reason, he didn't mind. Instead of jumping away and wondering why his best friend lay next to him in bed, he bent foreword, stroking the hair away to get a better view on him. His facial features looked absolutely beautiful from the soft shine looming around him, as if he wee an angel. George smiled, lowering himself down towards Dream's face, giving him a soft kiss on his forehead.

In an instant his door swung open. Both boys shot up in shock. Light invaded the room, a silhouette standing in the doorframe. As soon as George's eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, he saw his room was different. He inhaled deeply, instantly recognizing his old room from his teenage years. The silhouette stepped into the room, becoming more visible. George's breath hitched, immense fear going through his entire body. It was his uncle.

He began to shout, face and voice full with anger and disgust. But George wasn't listening, trying to deal with the fearful thoughts licking at him, daring him to fall into a full on panic attack. A burning shock came across his face, causing his head to fly to the side. Tears welled in his eyes. This pain was daringly familiar. His uncle had hit him. He looked up at the older man. Without any warning he yanked his nephew out of the bed, having him fully exposed, only wearing boxers. The screaming got louder, becoming unbearable for George. He sank to the floor, completely powerless against his uncle. His body weeped, loud sobs escaping his lungs. He tried tuning out the loud screams by covering his ears, but it did nothing. His uncle lifted his fist, steadying himself for another hit. George looked at him with fear, screaming that he was sorry, pleading him to stop hurting him. But it did nothing. The man moved his fist back a bit, signalizing that he would punch any moment. George closed his eyes, ready for the hit. 

He heard a hit and closely after a thud of something tall falling to the ground. He opened his eyes, seeing Dream on the floor, back turned to him. He didn't move. Dream had jumped between them, taking the hit instead of George. The brunette screamed. He crawled up to his friend's body, turning him to see his face. When he did so, another agonizing scream left his body. Dream was bleeding from his nose and mouth, nose painfully bent. "Dream??" George shook him, praying that he would open his eyes. He stayed motionless. With shaking hands he cradled him in his arms, crying loudly, repeating his name over and over again. Dream's head fell back, completely knocked out from the hit.

========

George shot up, sudden light blinding his vision, sweat and tears staining his face. His breathing was insanely fast, causing his chest to burn, every breath making the flame inside of him grow bigger and hotter. He clasped his hand over his chest, feeling some sort of fabric. He buried his fist into it, not daring to let go. He felt a sudden warmth on his tense fist, making him jerk away in fear. He suddenly heard something. A voice. It sounded so familiar, so comforting. But he couldn't find his way back to reality, causing his panic to grow, fearing he'll never live through this. 

The mattress underneath him moved. He looked at where the sudden weight shift came from. There were crossed legs in front of him. He heard the voice again, this time louder than before. But what was it saying? George closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. 

"It's okay, George."

There! There was the voice and it was calling out to him! He opened his eyes, hastily looking up to see where it came from. It was the only thing keeping him sane. He needed to find the source. The legs were in his field of vision again. He traveled up the body, seeing tense shoulders and shaking hands hanging in the air. The voice spoke again. "George, calm down. It's me, Dream." Dream? His Dream? His eyes went up, looking into concerned eyes. And there he was. Dream. The one keeping him grounded. The one saving him from himself and his fears.

George's breathing has slowed down a bit. Though still faster than normal. Dream noticed the change, trying again to reach out for George. This time he did it slower, keeping his eyes on George for any sudden change. He noticed George's eyes flickering to his hands, moving back a bit, fear in his expression. It pained Dream to see him this way. "George, look at me. I am right here. You're not alone." This seemed to work. The smaller one looked back at him, not moving any further away. "Good, look at me. Concentrate on my voice. Can you do that for me?" George nodded slightly. He seemed to be getting through to him. "Okay, we're going to breathe in together. Breathe in-" He did as he did, eyeing his friend who tried his best to follow his instructions. He held his breath for a little, then letting it go again. "-and out." George complied, slowly calming down while breathing together with his friend a few more times. When his breathing was back to normal, Dream carefully placed his hands onto George's, untangling them out oh the sheets and his shirt. Both looked at their hands. The taller one squeezed them to reassure they were safe. 

George sighed, tear stains still on his cheeks with new ones forming in his eyes. "I'm sorry..." his voice was sore, barely coming out as nothing more than a whisper. Dream shook his head. "No, George. This is nothing you have to be sorry for. It's okay. I'm just glad you're safe." He tried to meet the other one's eyes, but George didn't dare looking at him. Dream heard a small "Thank you." from him, still not moving his head. 

He untangled one of his hands, lifting it up to George's face, tilting it so he could finally look him in the eyes. He saw silent tears running down his face and his heart broke. He lifted up his other hand too, placing both onto George's cheeks, carefully wiping the droplets of salty water away with his thumbs. As a quiet sign of gratitude, the brunette showed a smile. It looked broken but so truthful, showing how much affection he had for him. It melted Dream's heart, smiling back at him before slowly and protectively wrapping him into a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn. The feels in this chapter are really something huh?  
> Well, now you see the other side of the story. There is a lot more angst on the way.
> 
> I hope you have fun reading the following chapters just as much as I enjoyed writing them.  
> -your author T


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next two chapters are the last two before the wedding! POG?

The panic from earlier had passed away, allowing George to sort his thoughts again. Him and Dream were still sitting on his bed. After a while of silent 'sorry' and 'thank you's, warm hugs and comforting strokes along the back later, Dream repositioned himself right next to George, ushering to give him some space. George did as he was told, shifting to the side so Dream could sit next to him. They gazed up at the ceiling, indulged in silence. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Dream asked softly, glancing at the other to see his reaction. George didn't look away, fidgeting with his fingers while debating wether he should or shouldn't. Another moment of silence passed. Dream sighed. "You don't have to, don't wo-" He got cut off by George. "I had a nightmare." Fuck it. Might as well spill his feelings while they are fresh.

"It was about my uncle..." Dream stayed silent, letting him take his time to sort his thoughts before continuing. "I was in my bed..." He stopped, thinking of what to say next. "I- He- ...I'm sorry. It's just-" His voice started to shake. He felt a little more at ease when he felt a protective arm around him, comforting him into continuing. "I dreamed about my coming out. I had a boy over who I really liked. He stayed the night because my uncle was supposed to be out of town till the next day. My mother was gone as well, she and Zoey went somewhere together. Greg didn't want to be alone at home with his lame cousin, so he went to some party." George huffed. "Understandable." The arm around his shoulder squeezed tighter, a stern look on Dreams face. "That's not true." George smiled at him, not quite believing him but nonetheless appreciating the other's words. He continued "But Steven, my uncle, came back home earlier than expected. He found me in bed with the other boy and he snapped." George took a deep breath, calming himself down a bit before coming to the really painful part of the story. "He hit me. He pulled me out of bed and screamed at me, calling me names, asking how I could have done that under his roof." Dream was in shock. His friend had mentioned that his uncle was a dick, but he didn't think it was to such an extent. "When my uncle wanted to hit me again the boy I had over stepped in front of me, taking the hit for me. It knocked him out. He was in the hospital for a month, his nose broken and jaw slightly dislocated." George decided against telling Dream about the fact that it wasn't that boy from all those years ago in his dream, but his friend himself.

Silence swept over them. Dream took in the new information, thinking about what to say. "That is fucked up George... Im sorry you had to go through such a horrible thing. You don't deserve to be treated like this, ever." Anger was boiling in his body. Dream wanted it to be the wedding day as soon as possible, just to punch that uncle just as hard as he did that poor boy. George could sense the anger and distress. He took Dreams free hand, other arm still around his own shoulder. The hand was clenched into a fist, knuckles white from suppressing his hatred to the man who hurt his friend this bad. With an exhausted smile on his lips, George carefully opened the fist, laying his own, certainly smaller hand, onto Dream's palm. He could feel the other one relaxing, anger slowly fading away. He stayed silent when he interlocked his fingers around the big, warm hand. Dream looked down at the soft touch, closing his fingers around the pale hand belonging to his friend, lovingly stroking his skin. When Dream looked up again, he looked directly into George's eyes. With a voice so full of love for no one else but him he said "Thank you, Clay."

He almost never used his real name. It gave the situation so much more meaning when George said it. The sound of it felt like he was over poured with sweet honey, the warm feeling spreading, dripping down his body, heating him up from the inside and outside. Dream felt like he was pulled into a haze, the only important thing right in front of him. George. His eyes flickered down to those rosy lips. How much he wanted to kiss him right now. He wanted to kiss his soft hand wrapped in his, looking into those beautiful eyes and slowly lean foreword to close that damned gap between them, kissing him senseless. He wanted to show him not just through words, but also through actions, how much he meant to him.

Dream turned away, face red and embarrassed. The weight of his thoughts made him realize how much he actually loved George. This wasn't some stupid crush or confusing thoughts swirling around his head. He was in love with his best friend. The one he has to pretend to date in front of his entire family in, what? Two days? This is a disaster.

The sun was finally up, announcing the start into a new day. They both decided to take it easy today, giving George enough time to recover from his horrible nightmare. The only plan was to go over the wedding to not mess anything up. 

They sat across each other at the kitchen table, planning while eating their breakfast. "Tomorrow we'll get on the train to get to Milton Keynes, since we both don't have a car." George began. Dream looked up at him, spoon in his mouth. "But the wedding is in two days, not tomorrow. Is the way so long?" His voice was muffled due to the spoon and crunching cereal. George nodded before thinking about how long the train ride would take them. It's been a while since he last took it to visited his family... "Probably up to three hours. We'll sleep in an hotel for two nights. The day after the wedding is some sort of party." A humming sound came from the blonde. He was way too concentrated on his food to keep up an actual conversation. 

George sighed. Then something quite important popped into his head. "You brought your suit with you, right?" George asked, accusing look on his face. Dream mockingly rolled his eyes. "Yes, George. I have the suit. Don't worry." He shoved a spoon filled with cereal in his mouth, chewing it with relish before swallowing. "I'm just saying. If you happen to not have a suit then we're fucked. We'll never be able to get something fitting in not even two days." George was already up and putting his dishes in the kitchen sink, bowl still half filled with soggy cereal. He didn't feel hungry anymore.

"Chill dude, I have one. A quite good looking one as well." George had his back to Dream, but he could feel the smug grin on his face. "I will be the judge of that." He turned around and Dream had, in fact, one of his smuggest grins flashing at him. He watched him stand up, empty bowl in hand and slowly walking up to him. The closer he got, the further he had to lean his head back to look him in the eyes. It was hard standing his ground when a much taller, handsome, blonde guy was coming closer with silent step. George gulped, not daring to look away.

Dream felt how nervous the other was and he couldn't help but to use this to his advantage. He placed the bowl behind George into the sink, getting closer to his ear than necessary. "I guess," His voice was low, too much growl in his voice to be just a whisper. It gave George instant goosebumps. "I don't have to worry then." The smaller one didn't move, face flushed incredibly red. When Dream bent up again he looked at what he had caused, a low chuckle escaping his lips. 

George turned around, mumbling a "Fuck you, Dream." underneath his breath. The other one didn't hear and before the situation could get awkward, the blushing blonde quickly darted into the living room, debating wether he was an absolute and utter dumbass or just a lovestruck idiot. Probably both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have the story of how Gogy accidentally came out. Not quite pleasant... But now you know how much of an asshole his uncle actually is. :D


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is LONG so... just a heads up :)
> 
> (I got a little carried away while writing ^^”)

George said it would take up to three hours for them to arrive at Milton Keynes. Turns out the train ride would take them almost four hours in total plus a 15 minutes taxi drive to get to their hotel.

The first part of their trip went perfectly fine, both talking and laughing and after a while sharing earbuds to listen to some music, unintentionally leaning against each other to minimize the gap between them. That is just because the headphones were to short to sit apart. At least that's what they told themselves. That was the train they took at 12 up to London, Victoria Station at Stop C. When they arrived there, they had to change trains to get a line that went through London. It took them longer than planned to get to Euston Bus Station. The train had some sort of issue, wich caused them to delay and George to totally freak out, Dream needing to calm him down, telling him that they'd be fine. When that was finally over, they had to walk a bit to get to their last train for the day wich would leave at 2:50 pm from Euston to finally arrive at Milton Keynes Central a good hour later. 

They immediately called a taxi that would bring them to their hotel. It's called the Holiday Inn - Milton Keynes East. It was bigger than they thought, but cozy nonetheless. They entered to get their room number and keys so they could finally rest.

"Oh my God." George huffed, tossing his luggage carelessly into a corner and slamming himself headfirst onto the bed in the middle of the room. Dream laughed at him, just as exhausted as he was. But he refrained from jumping into bed as well. First, he needed to wrap his head around the fact that they would be sharing the same bed for two nights. It wasn't that big of a deal. But the immense growing of the ache in his heart whenever he thought of George and the troubling situation he found himself in made it hard not to fantasize about them cuddling in the big bed, getting comfortable in the scent and warmth of one another. His cheeks flushed a slight pink, an inevitable and loving smile on his face as he watched the smaller one kicking off his shoes to crawl underneath the blanket.

They both decided it wasn't necessary to store any of their stuff in the drawers and such. Instead they took the most important things out and everything else was left in their bags. Everything expect their suits. They hung them up, having them ready for tomorrow.

"Tomorrow is the big day, huh?" Dream asked into the room. They had changed into something more comfortable like hoodie and sweats, not wanting to be in tight jeans anymore. They hadn't planned to go out anyways, so who cares. "Don't remind me." George answered with a groan, taking a pillow to plant it onto his face. It looked like he wanted to suffocate himself. It made Dream chuckle lightly. "Oh come on, try to lighten up a bit. I'm sure it'll be fun." He leaned his back at a wall, crossing his arms, desperately resisting the urge to go lay next to George. He knew he would have to do it sooner or later if he wanted to have a comfortable sleep. But he was seriously debating if he should sleep on the floor. He wasn't sure if he could restrain himself from giving in to his desires to be close to his unrequited lover. 

He couldn't hear what George had said due to the pillow pressed on his face. It made him laugh. George took a peek from under his little grumble cushion to see what was so funny about his demise. He saw Dream casually leaned against the wall behind him, forearms visible since he had his hoodie sleeves rolled up, body shaking a little from his laughter. He looked stunning, one hand in front of his mouth, laughing into it. The other arm was in front of his chest, hand holding his elbow to support the arm with wich he held up his hand. Dream's arms were scattered with veins. George knew that, but he never paid much attention to it. Now, that he had noticed them, it was impossible to look away. He wondered how strong he must be. Definitely stronger than him, that's for sure. But with hands like that... he could pin him down without any chance for him to escape. 

George's eyes widened, cheeks burning hot. His mind went places where he didn't want it to go. With a quick motion he shoved his face back into the pillow, hoping desperately that Dream wouldn't have seen him go red while starring at him.

At seven they decided it was time to get dinner. They left their room, making sure they hadn't forgotten their key. The hotel they stayed at had a little restaurant that served lunch and dinner. When they entered the room they were greeted by a young staff, asking them what he could do for them. He had a little name tag. It read Louis. He looked to be around Dream's age, maybe a little younger. Louis led them to a table for two, providing them with the menu. He left so the two friends could decide what they wanted to get. 

The food looked and tasted great. Louis came back to take the empty plates back to the kitchen. "Did you enjoy the meal?" He asked politely. Both nodded, Dream answering with a warm smile "Yes, it was very good." It wasn't something fancy that melted on the tongue from a five star restaurant of course. But for a dish from a hotel it was quite good. "That's great to hear." Louis smiled happily. "Do you two want a dessert?" Dream looked at George who nodded. "Dessert sounds good." 

"Great! I recommend the brownie with melted chocolate inside. You can decide what kind of ice cream you two want and if anything else should be added like fruits. Oh, and we currently have a couples discount so you can get some stuff extra for free." His sweet smile was pretty contagious, but what he said caused embarrassment to bloom in the two men's faces. "We- we're not a, uh... a couple." George cleared the misunderstanding. Louis looked at them, first confused, then getting what he was told and immediately apologizing for his mistake. "I'm so sorry, we're an LGBTQ-friendly place, so it's very common for us to welcome gay couples." Dream and George just chuckled, telling him it was okay. They had to pretend to be a couple tomorrow anyways.

Slight embarrassment settled on the boy's face, fiddling with his fingers as he debated wether to ask or not. "May I ask... what your sexual orientation is? You obviously don't have to! I- I'm sorry, I made it awkward, didn't I? Oh God, I'm really sorry-" He was interrupted by chuckling. As he looked at the two men, he saw his worry was not needed. Dream lifted his hand and placed it on his arm, telling him with a reassuring voice "Don't worry, it's fine." Louis cheeks turned a little pink. One, because he was still a little embarrassed and two, because a really attractive guy was touching him. He gave Dream a shy smile as an answer, earning he warm grin from him. George looked at them, feeling something form in his stomach. A feeling. But it didn't feel very pleasant.

They still looked at each other. George started to feel left out. He hated it. To break the situation up he cleared his throat, earning Dream's immediate full attention and a startled jump from Louis. "Anyways, to answer your question. I'm bisexual and Clay is straight." Using Dream's real name felt odd in an casual situation, but when talking to others they agreed on doing so. He made sure to emphasize on the fact that Dream was straight, as if hoping that Louis would finally move away from Dream's hand, wich was still placed on the waiter's arm. As if Dream had read his thoughts, he took his hand back. George internally sighed in relief, but his next sentence shocked him. "Actually, you could say I'm questioning. I don't really want to use a label, but I'm definitely not straight." 

George was dumbfounded. His friend, who he always assumed was straight, had just outed himself in front of a stranger. And he wasn't even looking at him. No, he grinned at Louis who had a dorky smile on his rosy face, a cute giggle escaping his lips. George couldn't believe this. Was he not trustworthy enough for his friend to tell him something like this? How long did Dream know? And how long did he keep it from him?

"Well, that's great. And as an reparation for the misunderstanding, I'll cover your dessert." Louis was a sweet guy. He was a little taller than George, dark ginger locks falling softly down his temples, stopping at his ears. George had to admit, he was quite pretty and kind too. But that didn't make up for how he quite obviously had something for Dream, who either enjoyed it but not jumping on it or was being totally oblivious to it. "That's sweet of you, but you really don't have to." Now he was calling him sweet. George leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms with a sour taste in his mouth. "No, I insist." the boy smiled at Dream while starting to walk backwards. 

His gaze shifted towards George to give him the same smile, but immediately turned around to leave completely when he noticed the tension radiating from the brunette.

Louis had just left. Dream was still looking after him before chuckling, turning back to George. When he saw the others pissed facial features and tense posture, he was confused. "What?" George huffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes. "Did you plan on telling me you weren't straight?" His tone was accusing, despite it not really being something to be mad about. At least not as mad as George was right now. "What?" Dream repeated his first question, even more confusion in his voice. "Are you seriously mad about that?" He punctuated the last word to show how ridiculous that was. "Uh, yes? Maybe I, one of your best friends, would like to know things like that and not hear it while you out yourself to a total stranger." Dream's brows were furrowed, not understanding why George was being so... angry. Not really angry, it was something different. Wait, was he..?

"Are you jealous?" George's eyes widened, quickly looking away from the slowly evolving grin on Dreams face. "I am not jealous. I just want to know why you would tell Louis this and not me." To his displeasure he was met with suppressed wheezes. "Oh, my God. You're totally jealous!" George snapped his head to the now loudly laughing Dream in front of him. George didn't talk to him the whole dessert wich annoyed Dream. So he talked more with Louis when he came back to collect the melted chocolate covered bowl. The boy glanced at George a few times, trying to find out what boundary he shouldn't overstep while talking to his blonde friend. 

"Anyways, today was great. We had a long way here, so you really helped lightening up our evening." Dream said sweetly. Louis smiled while George grunted. He maybe lightened up yours, but George definitely had enough of this. It's not because he disliked Louis. He disliked the way he talked to Dream.

"I'm very happy to hear that. If there is anything else I can help you with, just ask." Voice sweet like honey, without any thought behind the things he said or his gestures. But seeing Louis place his hand on Dream's shoulder while standing closer than he should George had had enough. He got up, chair making a rattling sound and nothing more than a gritted "Thanks." came over his lips before pulling Dream out of his chair and pulling him behind him. Dream bumped into Louis while struggling to keep his balance, quickly apologizing and saying goodbye to him. 

"Hey- George, what the hell?" But he didn't answer. He was way too busy thinking about how Dream was an idiot and how he should have told him while trying not to think of Louis. They arrived at their room, having George finally letting go of Dream's arm to open the door. "George, what is wrong with you? You're never this jealous." Dream's tone had underlining anger to it. But he was more confused than anything. He really didn't know what he did wrong. George pushed open the door, turning around to hold an accusing finger at Dream's chest. "I'm not jealous." He gritted through his teeth, turning back to walk into their room. Dream groaned loudly. "Fine. But that doesn't clarify why you are acting like this." He stepped through the door, closing it behind him. George sat on the bed, facing away from him. "Acting like what?" He asked uninterested. Dream stood next to him, folding his arms. "Are you serious right now?" George didn't answer. He just looked at the blanket, not wanting to face Dream. But the other one was very close to loosing his patience. "George, look at me." He demanded in a stern voice, but he didn't move. That's it.

With a strong pull on his arm he got George to stand in front of him. He swatted the touch away, glaring at Dream through narrow eyes. "Talk to me! I don't get why you're being to grumpy." The situation started to heat up, voices growing louder. "I'm not being grumpy! I'm pissed! Want to know why? Because my best friend decided not to trust me with questioning his sexuality but doesn't mind telling the next best guy!" His cheeks turned red from anger. He started to question why he yelled at Dream. He didn't want to fight. But he felt so much anger inside of him.

"Next best- You phrase it as if I was coming on to Louis." George looked at him fully now, disbelief written all over his face. "Seriously? He was the one coming onto you! The way he smiled and blushed at you, and how he talked to you-" The damm broke. George couldn't hold back anymore. At this point, he spilled all his thoughts out and Dream was listening. "He was so painfully obvious about being attracted to you! You can't tell me you didn't notice that!" George started to pace around, adrenaline keeping him from standing still. "George-"

"No, I don't want to hear it. You gave him signals that it was okay, that his flirts were achieving something and I was just sitting there as if you had forgotten all about me." Dream tried to speak again, but was immediately cut off like before. "It was like I was invisible. Both of you just stared at each other the whole time and flirted with each other and I was just-" The air in his lungs left him as he felt a sudden wave of strength pin him against a wall, sudden shift in the situation. He breathed heavily, looking up at a stone faced Dream right in front of him, holding him in place with his hands. Even if George wanted to continue his rampage, he was definitely not able to do so with Dream being so close to him. "George, seriously, shut up." His voice didn't show much feelings besides restrained annoyance. And shut up he did. He was way too taken back from Dream's sudden action, leaving him completely helpless in his grip. His breathing calmed slightly, signalizing Dream his plan worked. While keeping his grip on George he tried talking to him again, this time not letting the smaller one interrupt him. 

"You look way too much into this. I wasn't flirting with Louis. At least I wasn't trying to." That seemed to calm George's thoughts a bit, leading Dream to soften his grip. But to ensure George wasn't getting away until he was done, he kept his arms leaned at the wall, cutting off any escape route. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I wasn't straight. I didn't see it as much of a deal." His voice had softened. George started to regret acting so much on his feelings. Dream didn't do anything wrong. But he couldn't help about feeling hurt that he didn't tell him sooner. "Since when do you know?" Dream sighed when he heard the hurt in his friends voice. "About a month or so? I was never really against the idea of having a same sex relationship. It just wasn't something I wanted to label." George nodded, feeling Dream's hands absently stroking along his arms while retreating them from the wall, straightening himself again. He didn't feel the need to corner George anymore. The situation had eased again so there wasn't any need. It was silent for a bit before George mustered his strength to say "I'm sorry I overreacted like that... It just- I found out something personal about you because you told it to a stranger. I guess I felt left out." He smiled apologetic. 

Dream let himself fall back, landing on the bed with outstretched arms. "It's okay. I guess I should have told you about it. Finding out like that doesn't sound that great, thinking about it now." George huffed out a laugh, sitting down next to Dream on the bed. "Yeah, but it's not a reason to act like I did." Dream had his eyes closed, enjoying the calm atmosphere. "True." George smile, just as glad as Dream that the tension had left. He let himself down, laying on his side facing Dream. He had his eyes still closed.

"So, what exactly is your sexuality? I know you don't like labels, but I'm curious." Dream turned his head, finally looking back at George. "I don't really know. I just don't care about the other's gender. If I love someone I love who or whatever they are." George smiled. "That sounds nice." Dream had the same smile on his face. "You think so?" A short mhm sound was the only answer he got. "Does it sound like any sexuality you know?" George knows a lot more about this topic than him. He thought about it for a second. "I'd say it sounds like pansexuality. It's when the person is attracted to someone regardless of their biological gender or gender identity." Dream looked back at the ceiling, letting the word roam around his head. "Pan..." he repeated to hear how it would sound. "I guess that feels right." The smile on George's face grew bigger. "But I still don't feel the need to call myself anything. I'm just a dude who isn't straight." Both giggled at Dream's remark. It felt good to just laugh, no weird atmosphere around them. 

"And?" Dream saw a smug grin on the brunette's face. "What?" - "What about Louis?" Despite feeling a small sting in his chest he was still curious on what his friend thought of the other man who was obviously interested. "What about Louis?" He asked stupidly. George pulled a grimace, reaching for the pillow behind him to hit his friend who wheezed when it did. "You know exactly what I mean." When the wheezing stopped he answered truthfully "Sure, he's cute. But he isn't really my type." George lifted his eyebrow, curiosity growing. "Oh? And what is you type?" 

Dream slowly reached for the pillow between them so George wouldn't notice. "Wouldn't you like to know." He said before slamming the soft pillow in the other ones face, sending both of them into a laughing fit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALSO: I said in the notes last chapter that the next two chapters (including this one) till the wedding. I just wanna say it could take a little longer than that LOL.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Let’s see how Greg will react to George’s new boyfriend, shall we?

"Are you ready?" George was stressed. He paced through the room, making sure they had everything. While he was roaming around, already in suit and everything, Dream was still in the bathroom, doing his hair. "Almost, wait a sec." he had said. The Britt groaned, stepping to the bathroom to see how long his friend still needed. His eyes fell onto a bent forward Dream, starring into the mirror, hands in his hair. He got up again, looking at himself. "Great, you're done. Now let's go." George spun on his heels, ready to leave their hotel room. "Hold on, I still need to tie my tie." 

George took a deep breath, counting slowly to suppress his nerves. They weren't late. Actually, they were pretty good in time. But him thinking about every single thing that could go wrong made him even more scared than he already was. When he turned back to Dream, he saw him struggling to knot his tie, confused on what goes where. George shook his head. The sight of a confused Dream staring at his tie was kind of cute. With another sigh George stepped closer, taking the tie from Dream's neck to lay it around his own. He was watched by the tall blonde, not understanding why he had took his tie. He tied it with quick movement, pulling it over his head. "Come here." He directed Dream to lean down so he could help him. He did, absolutely mesmerized by the man in front of him.

When Dream had his head down far enough, he put the already tied loop over his head. With a small movement of his head he ordered Dream to lean up again. His green eyes never left the smaller man in front of him. He wasn't sure why this moment was so magical, so tender, it just was. George looked stunning and softer than usual in the warm bathroom light. The soft smile made him look even prettier. His hands were pulling one string of the tie down, the knot closing in on Dreams neck. He felt his fingers stroke against his throat as he straightened the fabric, making sure everything was neat. He felt like nothing else mattered right now besides George and him at this very second. The hands were pulled back and all of a sudden, two warm brown eyes stared back at him. It coughed him a little of guard. They were closer to each other than he thought. The smile on George's face weakened. He was completely indulged by the man in front of him eyeing him, like he was the only thing in his vision. He didn't even feel the low heat rising to his head, laying a soft shade onto his cheeks. The green eyes suddenly looked somewhere else. Still at him, but lower than his eyes. It was only for a split second. Before he knew it, it was over. Dream had the back of his hand pressed against his mouth, cheeks flushed and leaned back to create a bigger gap between them. George looked at him, a little confused. But Dream rushed past him, mumbling a "Let's go." without any explanation. 

What has gotten into Dream? Was he seriously just about to kiss George right before they got to the wedding? He groaned internally, cursing himself out. He needed to get his feeling under control before something goes wrong. Both made it clear that kissing was off the table. A peck on the cheek was okay if their lie was about to break. But only then. An actual kiss would only ruin everything. The last thing he wants is to ruin these days for George, just because of his stupid feelings. 

The whole drive to the wedding location Dream made sure there was enough space between them after what just happened. It confused George, but he decided not to act on it. The taxi drive took about 15 minutes till they arrived at Greg's house. They got out of the car, looking at the house in front of them. It was embellished with wedding decoration. George felt his knees go weak. "Well, here goes nothing." For the first time since what happened in the bathroom Dream touched him. He put his hand on the brunette's shoulder, sending a calming feeling through his body. "It's going to be okay." He smiled at him. George smiled back, not hiding the fear in his eyes. "Go on, I'll pay the driver." With that George made his way to the door, pressing the bell with shaking hands.

It took about three minutes before the door flew open and a happy Hollie stood in front of him. "George! I'm so happy you're here!" His cousins fiancé was a little smaller than him, a few pounds on her hips and golden locks falling over her shoulder. She was in a black dress going right above her knees. Seems like she wasn't in her wedding dress yet. He smiled at her, fear fading by the sight of her happy face. "Hey Hollie. Been a while, huh?" The woman opened her arms, wrapping him in a welcoming hug. "It has! Oh, let me get Greg." She quickly walked back into the house, door still wide open. "Honey! Your cousin is here!" Not long after, George could hear quick, strong steps. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of his cousin in a handsome suit, looking all grown up now. "Georgie!" Without hesitation Greg put his arms around his smaller but still older cousin, lifting him up while hugging him. "Dude, let me down." George hugged back, but struggled against his grip with a wide grin on his face wich caused a deep chuckle out of the bigger one. "Yeah yeah." So he did, properly looking at him. "Looking sharp." George grinned, trying to enjoy the calm before the storm.

He knew the joy on Greg's face would quickly change when he would see Dream. It would go as usual when his sexuality became the topic of a conversation. He always failed at hiding his disgust. It made George really sad... Yeah, Greg was an asshole and super annoying, but he spent most of his life with him, becoming more like brothers than cousins. And anyways, a younger brother is supposed to be annoying, right?

"So? Where's your chick?" Greg looked behind him, not seeing anyone. George shuffled his feet, trying to suppress the urge to run away. "About that..." He turned, making a hand sign that signaled Dream he could come. Greg's face visibly changed to horror and disgust when he saw the tall blonde stranger walk up behind his cousin. There is was. The same facial expression as always, though this time with way more horror in it. Wich was quite understandable regarding the situation. "That's a dude." He said matter of factly, snarling undertone in his voice. "Yes. That Clay, my- boyfriend." 

So far so good. He was able to say that Dream was his boyfriend without messing it up. He watched Greg struggle, gears turning in his head, deciding on what to do. "George- you should have told me." Dream cringed, but held back any comment. He didn't need to get on Greg's bad side immediately. For now he'd let George do the talking. "And then? Would you have canceled our invite?" George asked, taking in a defensive pose. Greg groaned, desperately trying to keep his voice low so he wouldn't attract the attention of their other family members. "Not your invite. But this changes everything! You know how my dad feels about- this side of you." The implication on George's bisexuality sounded like he had to force it out. It was truly hurtful to watch.

"You were the one basically forcing me to bring someone with me!" He hushed a silent yell to him. "Because I thought you'd bring a woman!" George rolled his eyes. It was the same as always. "Well Greg, Clay is my boyfriend and either he stays or we're both leaving." He crossed his arms, looking at his cousins with a death glare. Greg thought for a moment. It seemed like he actually considered sending them both away. With a deep sigh he made a hand motion, stepping to the side and letting them in. Before they could walk past him he grabbed George's wrist. "You know how my dad will react. Try to stay away from him."

George swatted it away. "Believe me, I know." Dream's thoughts went back to when George had told him his coming out story. His stomach twisted at the memory. With a last deep sigh Greg tried to show a smile. It looked like a kicked dog, as if George had betrayed him by coming with Clay to his wedding. But his words made up for his look, even if just a little. 

"If he tries anything, come to me immediately, okay?" George's mouth turned into a thin line, looking at his cousin with a hurt expression still. "I will." With that all three stepped away from the door, Greg closing it while the fake couple walked to the end of the little hallway.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry this chapter took so long to post lol
> 
> School is stressful and writing doesn’t always come easy. But oh well, it is what it is.  
> Hope y’all have fun reading! :)

"That went better than expected." George huffed out in a whispery voice. Dream's hand found it's way to his fake boyfriend's back, calmly stroking it up and down. "You did great." He whispered back as encouragement. It seemed to work, George leaning a little into the touch while sighing out a "Thanks." Greg was still behind them since he was the one who closed the door. His eyes darted into Clay's back. Why on earth would his cousin bring a dude to his wedding?? He knew exactly that this would just bring problems. Even bigger ones than normally when he came to visit. 

He looked away from the hand on his cousin's lower back, gulping down his nervousness. His dad won't like this. But wanting George at his wedding didn't change, so he would make sure that they'd interact as little as possible. 

He suddenly heard Clay's voice talking to his smaller boyfriend. "How about we talk to Zoey? You said she was the cool one." He heard a giggle, George's shoulders moving up and down slightly, Clay watching the brunette with happy eyes. Why couldn't Clay have been an asshole? Then it would have been so much easier to hate him for a good reason, not just because he was fucking his cousin. Greg's hands balled into fists, knuckles slowly but surely turning white. Just the thought of it made his stomach fill up to the brim with nothing but disgust. It felt so incredibly wrong, seeing his cousin with another man. Despite this feeling he risked another look. George was looking up at him, smiling sadly but lovingly. Greg sighed. Maybe it didn't feel right for him, but George already went through so much, he didn't want to add his opinion onto it. He is a grown man, so he straightened himself, coughing to make his presence known. 

The two men jumped slightly at the sudden noise, seeming a little embarrassed. Greg didn't look back at them, rubbing his neck nervously. "Zoey is in the living room together with grandma and grandpa, if you want to say hi." The two nodded, silence growing between the three men. George quickly grabbed Dream's hand, leading him towards the living room. With timid steps Greg went to their kitchen, his wife putting some plates that were left to soak in soapy water into the dishwasher. He immediately felt more relaxed. He walked up to her, hugging his beautiful soon-to-be-wife from behind. "Hey Hunny, how's George?" She asked, still keeping her focus on the plates, rinsing them before putting them away. Greg just mumbled into her hair wich caused an amused laugh. She dried her hands to burry one of them into her almost-husband's hair, stroking it lovingly.

After a moment of soothing comfort Greg turned his head a little so he could speak properly. "He brought his boyfriend." Hollie's hand stopped moving, a little "Oh..." leaving her lips. "Yeah." She turned around in his embrace. "It'll be okay, don't worry." Hollie's heart was big. She didn't care who someone else loved, but she knew everything about Greg. That's why she knew exactly how scared he was about his cousin's well being. 

Greg buried his face again, thirsting for comfort wich Hollie happily provided, wrapping her short, bulky arms around his back. It took her a while to get through Greg's thick skull, telling him that same-sex love was normal. Greg still struggled, not very good at hiding his distaste, but he was learning. 

Hollie thought about this as a great opportunity for Greg to try and be more comfortable with this topic. His dad did not have a great influence on him, but he was learning. 

They suddenly hear a loud shriek and a thud before loud laughter came from the living room. Both laughed but not moving out of their hug.

The shriek came from Zoey, tackling George down to the floor in an intense hug. "George! Holy shit you're really here!" George just laughed, hugging her back just as tightly. A small tear prickled at Zoey's eye, threatening to roll down her cheek. "I missed you." She mumbled truthfully. The big smile on George's face grew even bigger, brotherly petting her head. "I missed you too, Zozo." She laughed, loosening the hug to look at him. "Zozo, really?" George laughed. "What? I always called you Zozo." The girl stood up again, crossing her arms with a smug facial expression. "Yeah, when I was like eight." George chuckled while stemming his hands on the floor to stand up as well. "Well, you didn't change much." He grunted when going up, straightening himself. "Still as small as back then." Clay loved seeing George and Zoey banter, it showed him that he really loved his family. At least part of it. "Rich coming from you, Mr. I'll-be-over-6-foot-one-day." Clay laughed at Zoey's remark, holding his hand over his mouth. 

George turned towards him. "Don't laugh!" He said accusingly. Dream looked at him, still slightly chuckling. "Sorry, but imagining you say that is just priceless." George looked at him with a I'm-so-done-with-you look but his lips betrayed him, forming into an unwanted grin. 

Zoey looked between them, brows lifted while studying the stranger. "And who's that?" George turned back to her, nervously biting his lip. He wasn't scared of her reaction. But he was already annoyed with all the teasing she would do. She enjoyed making him miserable even more than Dream and Sapnap, wich is almost trophy worthy. "That's my boyfriend." He forced out, playing with his fingers to suppress his nerves. Zoey's eyes lit up, smug grin on her face. "Really? Nice to meet you then. I'm Zoey, but I'm sure Georgie told you already about his awesome cousin." She stretched out her hand, Clay took it happily. "I'm Clay. And he actually has told me about you." Zoey gasped, her free hand clasping over her heart. "Aww, did he now?" George rolled his eyes, debating wether to be glad that these two got along or if he should be scared. "Stop it. You are just feeding her already massive ego." The girl took back her hand, stemming it into her hip. With the other she flipped her high ponytail back. She had blond hair, a little brighter than Hollie's, some colorful strands going from the front into her tied hair. "What can I say? I'm a leo, I know how great I am." Her hair flew through the air, dangling behind her head. She appeared to have her lover hair cut short. 

"That explains a lot. He's a leo as well and let me tell you, his ego goes through the roof." Dream looked at him, at the devilish grin on his face. "If you say so, babe." The use of the pet name made George shiver, cheeks turning a soft red. He couldn't say anything against it. They'd be busted before the wedding even began. He was powerless against Dream's teasing, nothing left to do but rolling his eyes, quietly saying "Shut up." He didn't look but he heard the two leo's in front of him chuckle, proud grin on Dream's face.

"Are you going to greet your old granny or do I have to pinch your cheek first?" A shaky voice spoke. All three pair's of eyes looked at George's grandma sitting in her armchair. His grandpa sat next to her on the couch, slightly snoring, head leaned back. George thanked God or whoever was up there that she just saved him from any more embarrassment. He walked up to her, kneeling before her legs. "Hey grandma." he smiled, resting his hand onto her's. She moved her other hand to put it onto his, holding it dearly. "My beautiful boy, I'm so happy to see you." George smiled warmly. "Me too." 

"And who was your friend over there again?" Her old eyes looked towards Dream who gave her a short wave. George looked at him before turning back to his grandma. "His name is Clay." The old lady lifted her hand, waving him over. When Dream was next to them she took his hand, looking at him as if she was looking into his sound. "What a handsome young man. I'm sure all the girls are swooning over you." Zoey giggled, but the other two looked at each other, some sort of guilt in both their eyes.

This might be even harder than expected.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update already? Pog? :D
> 
> I quite like this chapter. At least a little lol. Hope you enjoy!

The three young adults talked a bit more to the old woman, listening to her complaints about her husband not being awake to greet his grandson. While George was telling her about how he has been, Dream got the chance to talk a bit more with Zoey. 

"So, you and George, huh?" Dream turned to her. She was sitting next to her grandpa, Dream next to her sitting on the armrest. He grinned at her, trying to forget that this was all an act, imagining that he and George were actually together, not just faking it. "Yeah, guess so." His smile turned sour at the instant guilt that stung his heart. He felt bad thinking about his harmless fantasy. He didn't like keeping secrets, especially from people who are very dear to him. But telling George his true feelings would only bring chaos they didn't need.

"How did you two meet?" Zoey asked curiously, her eyes drifting over to her cousin talking to their grandma. Dream followed her gaze, a smile tugging at his lips when his eyes fell upon his desired lover. "We met on a Minecraftserver through coding." His heart warmed at the memory. Already then he was mesmerized by the older. Zoey nodded, giving a hum as answer. They kept their eyes on the smiling man, excitedly talking to the smiling woman. 

"Do you know about his past?" Zoey asked calmly, breaking her stare and looking at Dream who had his eyes still glued to George. "Yeah, he told me." Dream was able to look away from George, returning Zoey's look. He was always so captivated by his friend. His soft hair, smooth skin, beautiful face, contagious laugh, just everything had him gripped tight, as if he was hit by a spell. He adored the beautiful man, loving to just watch him, praising him in his head.

"His uncle seems like an absolute asshole. No offense." Zoey sighed. "None taken. It's true after all. He's a homophobic piece of shit." 

"Isn't he your dad?" Dream asked, tilting his head a little. "Kinda. He's my stepdad. My mum died sadly when I was five. They were together for about three years at that point. I had no one else so Steven took me in as his." Dream wasn't quite sure how to react. Zoey seemed to be quite an open person. "Sounds tough." She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, but George made my life way more bearable." She smiled, wich Dream happily returned. "Yeah, mine too." He said truthfully. George had brightened up his life and Dream couldn't be more thankful for that.

Zoey studied him, letting her eyes travel over him. "You really love him, huh?" She asked, one eyebrow lifted. Dream kept smiling at her. He looked at George who still talked to his grandma, not aware of their conversation. "I do." He breathed out, voice full with love.

Zoey smiled at his answer. She's happy that George found someone who loved him so unconditionally.

They kept talking, drifting away from George being their topic. Instead, Dream was very interested about Zoey and her life. He learned that she had a non-binary partner and that they recently moved in together. They are a little older than her and she was happy to be out of her old household. Her eyes sparkled talking about her partner just as bright as Dream's when he was thinking about George. She seemed to love that special someone quite a lot. 

George had mentioned that she was pan and he had briefly explained what it meantime. But Zoey seemed to know even more about all the different sexualities than George. Dream was listening intently to her talking. He learned about another term that he thought might fit him. Queer, a term for someone who's not heterosexual or cisgender. It lingered in his head. It confused him a little, still uncertain if he was comfortable with using a label at all. He'll figure it out eventually.

The conversation with Zoey felt very easy and comfortable, chatting freely about anything and everything. Despite her being a few years younger, he could imagine becoming great friends with her. But the nice calm atmosphere changed when a middle-aged, fragile-looking woman stepped into the room. Her eyes had a sad look inside of them, somehow turning even sadder when her eyes fell onto George. The young man stood up, looking at her with the same sad expression. "George..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, sounding exhausted. "Mother." 

Dream kept his eyes on George, taking in the situation. The brunette's hands were balled into fists, face and shoulders tense. It looked like he wanted to run away but forced himself to stand his ground. The silence lasted for several moments, the air getting thicker with every passing tick of the clock on the wall, it's quiet ticking now noticeable. With a slow turn the woman, George's mum, moved for the first time since she entered the room. "Greg said it's time for all the men and Grandma Edna to drive to the church. Hollie's bridesmaids will be here soon to help her with the dress. Zoey and I will stay as well and then accompany them to the church." She spoke to Zoey's direction who gave her a short nod to show her she understood. 

Then, her eyes landed on the blonde stranger sitting next to the girl. It looked like she wanted to say something but decided against it. Instead her head spun back to George. They looked at each other, the tension clearly noticeable. Zoey quietly got onto her feet, ushering Dream out of the room. "I think they need to talk a little." She gave as excuse. He nodded and let her lead him to the kitchen. Muffled voices could be heard from the living room. Dream just hoped George was okay.

Sadly, that wasn't really the case. "Baby... please don't tell me he's your-" She stopped talking, not able to finish the sentence but it was obvious what she implied. His fists clenched tighter, shaking with suppressed emotions that were close to spilling. "He is, and?" He spoke through gritted teeth. George absolutely loved his mum and it hurt him that they grew so much apart over the years. He missed her so much. But she kept her distance to her sinful son, just because his love was great enough for both women and men, not just the opposite gender.

Her eyes were full of pity. Though George wasn't sure if it was directed at him or herself. She was quite sure about that as well, honestly. "Mother," George said, trying his best to stay calm. "please don't start this again. Not now." He came here to at least try to enjoy the wedding. Not to defend his love life to his mother. "But baby, he isn't good for you-" The women tried to reach out with her skinny hand, wanting to finally change his mind, finally having him understand that a woman and only women were good for him to love. But her son moved back, avoiding her touch. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to bear with the knowledge that his own mother doesn't accept who he is since he was a little boy. "How would you know?" His voice trembled, raising the volume without much control over it. "It's not like you were there for me the past years. So how would you know who is or isn't good for me, huh?" Teasers started picking at his eyes. His mother's eyes didn't change, holding the same sad stare she had throughout the entire time. 

"He is another man. That's not good for you. You know that." She stepped closer, George not moving, his mind reeling while desperately trying not to snap at her. "I just want what's best for you and he definitely isn't." That was the final straw.

"No, you clearly don't! You weren't there for me once in the past five years! Clay on the other hand, he was with me every step of the way. He was there for me when my own mother wasn't. You were supposed to love me no matter what!" The tears were flowing now. It always ended the same way.

"My baby, of course I love you. But what you are is wrong. I only want to show you the right path." 

"You can't change who I am! I am bisexual, Clay is my boyfriend and there is NOTHING you can do about it." He quickly walked past her, not wanting to talk to her anymore. He turned a corner and found himself standing in the doorframe of the kitchen. His still tear-filled eyes spotted Dream and Zoey sitting at the kitchen island and he could feel instant relief that he was with people who understood and cared about him. 

Dream heard a little sniffle, first thinking his mind was playing tricks on him. But then he saw a crying George slowly walking towards him. He was up immediately, quickly indulging him in a warm hug. George grabbed onto him for dear life, starting to calm down in the surrounding warmth and love. Small, almost unnoticeable strokes went along the back of his head. George sniffed silently, burying his face deeper into Dream's embrace. 

Zoey wasn't in the kitchen anymore, wanting the two men to have their privacy. She would check in later to know if George was okay. But she was sure that he was now, thanks to Clay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited for the following chapters. >:)

**Author's Note:**

> Dark start into the story. But don't worry, it's just the start. The next one will play in the present of this story's timeline. I still hope you find a liking in my writing style and have fun reading the story and see how it progresses!  
> -your author T


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